Valentine's Day means sweets - and lots of them. You can easily buy a pretty box of mixed chocolates or you can make and bake different treats for your love. Anything homemade will be appreciated - and loved. It's also from the heart which is special and from your kitchen which makes them even more special.
Of course many go for baked delights. A fancily frosted two layer devil's food cake is always welcome, especially after a home cooked dinner. Think of frosting it with homemade raspberry or cherry frosting for extra dazzle. (Two Sisters Crafting has the best frosting recipes for these flavors). If you're baking for your guy, stout cupcakes with Bailey's Irish cream. For those guys who love to bake, think dainty little cupcakes, dusted with sanding sugar for sparkle. If you're ambitious you can give French macarons a try. They can be a bit labor intensive because almonds have to be ground for flour and the recipe requires egg whites. A better version would be made with aquafaba, chickpea brine that has the same consistency and proteins as egg whites. Fill with a rich chocolate ganache, an easy make that has heavy whipping cream cooked with semisweet chocolate pieces. Of course a Valentine's Day cake doesn't have to be chocolate. There's no rule saying you can't make an airy angel food and serving it with a light whipped cream and sliced strawberries. You can also make a lovely lemon cake with a homemade vanilla icing. Decorate with candied lemon peels. A crostini filled with fruit is another nice treat, especially if it's served with chilled Prosecco.
Candy is always welcome and there are so many recipes you can make. One of the easiest is haystacks. These are mounds of chocolate and toasted coconut blended together. Some recipes also add almonds, peanuts and rolled oats. The purist recipe is the best although you can make it with white dark, or milk chocolate. You could also mix the chocolates too for a colorful spin.A variation would be nut clusters made with any of the chocolates and nuts added. You can try just one kind like peanuts or almonds or a mix that includes cashews and walnuts. Chocolate dipped fruit is always welcomed. Ganache can be used or just plain chocolate chips.Remember to add coconut oil so the chocolate will have a glossy finish when dry. Most would go for strawberries but chocolate covered blueberries and pineapple are also good.A different spin is caramel. Homemade caramel is surprisingly simple to make.You'll need butter, Karo syrup (or any corn syrup) evaporated milk and vanilla extract. This is all cooked down into creamy squares of deliciousness. For added decadence dip the squares in bitter chocolate for a really lovely rich flavor.
Create something sweet for your honey this Valentine's Day. He or she will appreciate the work and love that went into it. A home made sweet is really the sweetest gift of all.
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Friday, February 7, 2020
Valentine's Meals For Your Sweetie
One of the best Valentine's Day gift is something homemade. Any sweetie will appreciate either a homemade meal .Even if you can't cook you can come up with an easy and delicious table for two.
A lux breakfast in bed is always appreciated. A simple dish would be scrambled eggs with ham . Put it on croissants for a richer look and taste. Another easy breakfast dish is eggs Benedict. This is simply poached eggs on English muffins with a lemon- butter sauce. It's mixed with egg yolks for richness.It's the perfect dish to serve with mimosas , or Bellinis, peach nectar blended with champagne. If you're lucky to have lunch together, then think of a charcuterie platter. This is one for the easiest but also the richest tasting of all lunch time dishes. Start with buying a beautiful wooden charcuterie plate. (you can always reuse it at parties and holidays). Have an array of good Italian cold cuts such as mortadella, hard salami and prosciutto. Sopressata, a spicy Southern Italian dry salami is another good meat, perfect on sliced Italian or French bread. Cheeses are a must. Brie is perfect, especially on French bread but Gruyere and smoked Gouda are also good choices. Have a chilled Cabernet or Zinfandel to sip with this tasty mix. You could also go old school with grilled cheese and tomatoes. Cut the grilled cheese into a heart . Get creative and drizzle sour cream into a heart shape onto the soup's surface.
Of course a Valentine's Day dinner is a big deal. Just remember that's it's just as easy to make surf and turf at home than ordering it at a restaurant. Keep in mind that the seafood could be anything from shrimp to lobster to crab. As for the beef, any cut will do, from a flank to a T-bone. Serve with a side of buttery string beans almondine and/or sauteed spinach. Cornish hens are another tasty and romantic night dinner. Spike up the flavor with a rub of powdered garlic and paprika and serve with brown rice. Want to impress with a night of exotic flavors? Then try tagine, the Morroccan hot pot of different ingredients and spices. The recipe does call for tagine pot , a kind of skillet with a triangular lid but you can also use a deep skillet or even a crock pot. A chicken one calls for a whole roaster cut up and cooked with tomatoes, peas and carrots. Almonds and dried apricots are also essential to give it a true Moroccan vibe. You could also make a veggie tagine by subbing in chickpeas and butternut squash. If your sweetie is a vegan, then think about a Beyond Meat burger with all the trimmings. Use a cumin spiced Nayonnaise , vegan mayo with tomato slices and soy bacon. Serve with a big helping of air fried sweet potato fries with a home made tomato paste based ketchup.
Nothing says love more than a home cooked meal.It could be breakfast, lunch or dinner. As long as it's home cooked by a home chef with a heart and a kitchen full of love.
A lux breakfast in bed is always appreciated. A simple dish would be scrambled eggs with ham . Put it on croissants for a richer look and taste. Another easy breakfast dish is eggs Benedict. This is simply poached eggs on English muffins with a lemon- butter sauce. It's mixed with egg yolks for richness.It's the perfect dish to serve with mimosas , or Bellinis, peach nectar blended with champagne. If you're lucky to have lunch together, then think of a charcuterie platter. This is one for the easiest but also the richest tasting of all lunch time dishes. Start with buying a beautiful wooden charcuterie plate. (you can always reuse it at parties and holidays). Have an array of good Italian cold cuts such as mortadella, hard salami and prosciutto. Sopressata, a spicy Southern Italian dry salami is another good meat, perfect on sliced Italian or French bread. Cheeses are a must. Brie is perfect, especially on French bread but Gruyere and smoked Gouda are also good choices. Have a chilled Cabernet or Zinfandel to sip with this tasty mix. You could also go old school with grilled cheese and tomatoes. Cut the grilled cheese into a heart . Get creative and drizzle sour cream into a heart shape onto the soup's surface.
Of course a Valentine's Day dinner is a big deal. Just remember that's it's just as easy to make surf and turf at home than ordering it at a restaurant. Keep in mind that the seafood could be anything from shrimp to lobster to crab. As for the beef, any cut will do, from a flank to a T-bone. Serve with a side of buttery string beans almondine and/or sauteed spinach. Cornish hens are another tasty and romantic night dinner. Spike up the flavor with a rub of powdered garlic and paprika and serve with brown rice. Want to impress with a night of exotic flavors? Then try tagine, the Morroccan hot pot of different ingredients and spices. The recipe does call for tagine pot , a kind of skillet with a triangular lid but you can also use a deep skillet or even a crock pot. A chicken one calls for a whole roaster cut up and cooked with tomatoes, peas and carrots. Almonds and dried apricots are also essential to give it a true Moroccan vibe. You could also make a veggie tagine by subbing in chickpeas and butternut squash. If your sweetie is a vegan, then think about a Beyond Meat burger with all the trimmings. Use a cumin spiced Nayonnaise , vegan mayo with tomato slices and soy bacon. Serve with a big helping of air fried sweet potato fries with a home made tomato paste based ketchup.
Nothing says love more than a home cooked meal.It could be breakfast, lunch or dinner. As long as it's home cooked by a home chef with a heart and a kitchen full of love.
Thursday, February 6, 2020
A Childhood Favorite Dave Tanis Style
If you're full Piedmontese or even a fraction of the nationality, you grew up with bollito misto. It was spoken in almost mystical tones by my Mom and her aunts, my great aunts.It's a variety of different boiled meats and veggies topped off with salsa verde, parsley sauce. Now David Tanis takes one of my family recipes and updates it.
Bollito misto or boiled mix is a big deal.It's usually served at both Christmas and New Year's along with special occasions like baptisms , confirmations and engagement parties. it's a melange of both sausages and various cuts of beef. There are also veggies involved and of course, the most important part bagnet vert , Piemontese for green bath, the parsley sauce. Mr. Tanis received most of the recipes from Chef Danielle Glantz's friend and home chef, Gaia Bonaden , a food and beverage consultant from Torino, Italy. grew up, as I did with the recipe. Her family used a tail to snout philosophy , If you make this you can start with several beef cuts along with veal cheek and tongue along with oxtail. Sausage stuffed pig's feet and cotechino sausage ,a fennel laced mix of pork and red wine are also served. A stewing hen or capon is sometimes added too (my family never added any poultry) It wouldn't be a Piedmontese dish without the veggies. Mr. Tanis includes carrots , fennel bulbs ,golden beets, turnips, rutabagas and Yukon Gold potatoes. I would use Swiss chard if I could find it now too along with cardoons.
Of course bollito misto is nothing without the sauce. This is one heavy on the parsley. There's also basil, which my family recipe doesn't include. ( I plan on making a vegan version and I am debating about using the basil or just amping up the parsley). Salt brined capers along with a pinch of red peppers are added for more flavor and a zing of heat. There is also horseradish and vinegar added. I remember that we served the horseradish on the side because not everyone liked its' strong taste. Will I add it to my salsa verde? Debatable. There are also scallions which also are a debatable point.Mr. Tanis includes Ms. Bonaden's salsa rossa.bread soaked in vinegar laced with garlic cloves, tomato paste and two cooked bell peppers. Cayenne and paprika are also added for fire which will also liven up the flavors of the meat and veggies.Mr. Tanis serves all of this buffet style , but it's great family style with people reaching here and there for what they want. He also starts with small cups of broth - brodo with what seems to be tortallini. There's also an endive salad with hard boiled eggs and another Piemontese must have anchovies. I don't know if I would make this . To me it seems a bit much. He ends with a pear and frangipane crostini tart. It sounds and looks delicious but after bollito misto, dessert is kind of redundant. I'd probably just serve espresso with grappa and maybe a fresh fruit platter
It's amazing to see this childhood recipe again, especily in the NY Times Food section I intend on making my version to celebrate it. Try bollito misto for a different take on a buffet dinner. You'll enjoy it, guaranteed.
Bollito misto or boiled mix is a big deal.It's usually served at both Christmas and New Year's along with special occasions like baptisms , confirmations and engagement parties. it's a melange of both sausages and various cuts of beef. There are also veggies involved and of course, the most important part bagnet vert , Piemontese for green bath, the parsley sauce. Mr. Tanis received most of the recipes from Chef Danielle Glantz's friend and home chef, Gaia Bonaden , a food and beverage consultant from Torino, Italy. grew up, as I did with the recipe. Her family used a tail to snout philosophy , If you make this you can start with several beef cuts along with veal cheek and tongue along with oxtail. Sausage stuffed pig's feet and cotechino sausage ,a fennel laced mix of pork and red wine are also served. A stewing hen or capon is sometimes added too (my family never added any poultry) It wouldn't be a Piedmontese dish without the veggies. Mr. Tanis includes carrots , fennel bulbs ,golden beets, turnips, rutabagas and Yukon Gold potatoes. I would use Swiss chard if I could find it now too along with cardoons.
Of course bollito misto is nothing without the sauce. This is one heavy on the parsley. There's also basil, which my family recipe doesn't include. ( I plan on making a vegan version and I am debating about using the basil or just amping up the parsley). Salt brined capers along with a pinch of red peppers are added for more flavor and a zing of heat. There is also horseradish and vinegar added. I remember that we served the horseradish on the side because not everyone liked its' strong taste. Will I add it to my salsa verde? Debatable. There are also scallions which also are a debatable point.Mr. Tanis includes Ms. Bonaden's salsa rossa.bread soaked in vinegar laced with garlic cloves, tomato paste and two cooked bell peppers. Cayenne and paprika are also added for fire which will also liven up the flavors of the meat and veggies.Mr. Tanis serves all of this buffet style , but it's great family style with people reaching here and there for what they want. He also starts with small cups of broth - brodo with what seems to be tortallini. There's also an endive salad with hard boiled eggs and another Piemontese must have anchovies. I don't know if I would make this . To me it seems a bit much. He ends with a pear and frangipane crostini tart. It sounds and looks delicious but after bollito misto, dessert is kind of redundant. I'd probably just serve espresso with grappa and maybe a fresh fruit platter
It's amazing to see this childhood recipe again, especily in the NY Times Food section I intend on making my version to celebrate it. Try bollito misto for a different take on a buffet dinner. You'll enjoy it, guaranteed.
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
The Actual Naked Chefs
Jamie Oliver may be the Naked Chef but there are actual naked chefs out there. No kidding. Nudists do cook - and cook hot , splattery dishes as well as create icy cold desserts. How do they do it? Very interestingly.
Nude chefs (again, maybe two words that should not be together) was the subject of Food section regular, Priya Krishna wrote about for today's New York Times Food section. She visited Lutz, Florida,a Tampa suburb where there is a colony, Lake Como. Surprisingly enough this 200 year old (!) practice is becoming popular again. The Chicago Times wrote about nakations - clothing free getaways and Bon Appetit magazine published "9 Rules For Naked Dining :The Etiquette of Nude Resorts". Many have embraced nudism. To them it feels freeing and creative. At Lake Como, visitors and regulars can have a full service meal at the Bare Buns Cafe which has meals, snacks and drinks. There is also the Butt Hutt, which not only serves drinks but also offers karaeoke and dance lessons. Luckily the chefs and the bartenders have to wear clothes, simply for health reasons.
It's a different matter for nude home chefs.A part time Lake Como resident, Jack Clark feels it liberating to just cook without clothes. It's freer and makes him more creative. He does wear oven mitts (!!) to protect his hands from burns and to protect them from splatters. They came in handy when he had to drain pasta for his linguine and clam sauce for his dinner party. Dinner parties on that point are also easier. There's no worry about what to wear and how you look. It's also less constraining after you've had a full meal. There are no binding waistbands or the discreet opening of top buttons after eating too much. Cooking though will have its' hazards and pitfalls.One, nudist, Karyn McMullen, another Lake Como denizen, has to take a big step back when taking food out of the oven. Her husband Jayson stays a good ways away from the grill when barbecuing and mostly refrains from frying. He does wear an apron when that happens.Another homeowner there, Nancy Rehling wears a tee shirt when cooking to protect her skin from any splatters. She already has scars from fried fish , boiled over soups and cheese which is the worst since it sticks and burns.
Will nude cooking catch on? Yes, in the nudist colonies. It's a freeing and carefree way to let loose in the kitchen.
Nude chefs (again, maybe two words that should not be together) was the subject of Food section regular, Priya Krishna wrote about for today's New York Times Food section. She visited Lutz, Florida,a Tampa suburb where there is a colony, Lake Como. Surprisingly enough this 200 year old (!) practice is becoming popular again. The Chicago Times wrote about nakations - clothing free getaways and Bon Appetit magazine published "9 Rules For Naked Dining :The Etiquette of Nude Resorts". Many have embraced nudism. To them it feels freeing and creative. At Lake Como, visitors and regulars can have a full service meal at the Bare Buns Cafe which has meals, snacks and drinks. There is also the Butt Hutt, which not only serves drinks but also offers karaeoke and dance lessons. Luckily the chefs and the bartenders have to wear clothes, simply for health reasons.
It's a different matter for nude home chefs.A part time Lake Como resident, Jack Clark feels it liberating to just cook without clothes. It's freer and makes him more creative. He does wear oven mitts (!!) to protect his hands from burns and to protect them from splatters. They came in handy when he had to drain pasta for his linguine and clam sauce for his dinner party. Dinner parties on that point are also easier. There's no worry about what to wear and how you look. It's also less constraining after you've had a full meal. There are no binding waistbands or the discreet opening of top buttons after eating too much. Cooking though will have its' hazards and pitfalls.One, nudist, Karyn McMullen, another Lake Como denizen, has to take a big step back when taking food out of the oven. Her husband Jayson stays a good ways away from the grill when barbecuing and mostly refrains from frying. He does wear an apron when that happens.Another homeowner there, Nancy Rehling wears a tee shirt when cooking to protect her skin from any splatters. She already has scars from fried fish , boiled over soups and cheese which is the worst since it sticks and burns.
Will nude cooking catch on? Yes, in the nudist colonies. It's a freeing and carefree way to let loose in the kitchen.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Gimme Some Natural Sugar
We have been hard wired to crave sweets since our Neanderthal days. Yet all that processed sugar, whether in drinks or treats can be damaging. What to do? Go natural. There are plenty of all natural sweeteners that you can use.
It is hard to give up sugar, especially when you have to.Luckily there are many choices to help you go through the withdrawal process. (Keep in mind that refined white sugar is just as addictive as cocaine).Many right now are using stevia as their go to sweetener. Some are even attempting to grow the plant in their backyards which you can if you live in warm conditions where it thrives. Stevia is 200 times sweeter than refined sugar and can help in reducing weight and cavities. There are some great products out there made with it. One, Zevia Soda is a must buy if you want to wean yourself off regular sodas. It's made with 100 per cent stevia and comes in a wide range of flavors. I've tried both their black cherry and cola flavors and really enjoyed them. They also have ginger ale and their take on Dr. Pepper., Dr. Zevia. Can you bake with it? Yes! It just takes eighteen to twenty-four packets to create one cup. There's even stevia confectioner's sugar that you can buy on Amazon. Use this when you want to create fluffy buttercream icing.
Another must have is maple syrup. It has a lovely buttery sweet taste that can work in anything. One of my new favorites is a homemade maple "ice cream."It's taking plain , unflavored yogurt, and mixing it with a tablespoon of maple syrup in one of those Slushie cups.It turns into a creamy kind of frozen yogurt. You can also bake with it. Just use 3/4 cup for every one cup of sugar. Keep in mind that it can also be used for marinades for all sorts of meats.Try it blended with rosemary for a different glaze for chicken or salmon. Honey is the original sweetener, going back thousands of years in first sweetening oat cakes. I like it in sweetening up tomato sauce with dark California wildflower honey instead of sugar because it doesn't leave that sweet candy taste. It gives the blend an earthy flavor that melds with the tomatoes and various spices. It's the same reason I use a teaspoon or two of it in my Mom's chili recipe too.Baking with honey is another good idea. It adds a much more mellower flavor than refined white sugar. Keep in mind that honey is a liquid and that's going to throw off any baked good's texture. You'll have to reduce the liquids amounts by two tablespoons to get the right batter and dough consistency.
You can get off sugar. Use natural sweeteners and you'll be surprised at how good they taste and how versatile they are. Try them and seen.
It is hard to give up sugar, especially when you have to.Luckily there are many choices to help you go through the withdrawal process. (Keep in mind that refined white sugar is just as addictive as cocaine).Many right now are using stevia as their go to sweetener. Some are even attempting to grow the plant in their backyards which you can if you live in warm conditions where it thrives. Stevia is 200 times sweeter than refined sugar and can help in reducing weight and cavities. There are some great products out there made with it. One, Zevia Soda is a must buy if you want to wean yourself off regular sodas. It's made with 100 per cent stevia and comes in a wide range of flavors. I've tried both their black cherry and cola flavors and really enjoyed them. They also have ginger ale and their take on Dr. Pepper., Dr. Zevia. Can you bake with it? Yes! It just takes eighteen to twenty-four packets to create one cup. There's even stevia confectioner's sugar that you can buy on Amazon. Use this when you want to create fluffy buttercream icing.
Another must have is maple syrup. It has a lovely buttery sweet taste that can work in anything. One of my new favorites is a homemade maple "ice cream."It's taking plain , unflavored yogurt, and mixing it with a tablespoon of maple syrup in one of those Slushie cups.It turns into a creamy kind of frozen yogurt. You can also bake with it. Just use 3/4 cup for every one cup of sugar. Keep in mind that it can also be used for marinades for all sorts of meats.Try it blended with rosemary for a different glaze for chicken or salmon. Honey is the original sweetener, going back thousands of years in first sweetening oat cakes. I like it in sweetening up tomato sauce with dark California wildflower honey instead of sugar because it doesn't leave that sweet candy taste. It gives the blend an earthy flavor that melds with the tomatoes and various spices. It's the same reason I use a teaspoon or two of it in my Mom's chili recipe too.Baking with honey is another good idea. It adds a much more mellower flavor than refined white sugar. Keep in mind that honey is a liquid and that's going to throw off any baked good's texture. You'll have to reduce the liquids amounts by two tablespoons to get the right batter and dough consistency.
You can get off sugar. Use natural sweeteners and you'll be surprised at how good they taste and how versatile they are. Try them and seen.
Monday, February 3, 2020
Diet Fun
Can a diet be fun? Surprisingly yes, if you're creative and know what to mix and blend you can.It's just a matter of being open and experimenting. It'll make a new lifestyle change exciting.
This has been my mantra now that I'm on the cirrhosis diet. I have to admit it was more than daunting at first. Let's face it , giving up sugar and salt is life changing.It's giving up cookies and the occasional cupcake. The salt is even worse. I have to give up my beloved pretzels and bacon along with the occasional bag of chips. Salad dressings, thanks to their high sodium content are also off the table. The one that kills me is the veggie broth, my always go to when I feel sick or just want a very light meal. Luckily one of my favorite soups, Well Yes comes in lower sodium and thankfully tastes the same. Other soups aren't so forgiving so it's up to me to get creative about them. I found a recipe for homemade veggie stock that sounds delicious , I can see adding whole wheat fusilli and chickpeas for a much healthier version of pasta e fagiole. I could also add Beyond Meat crumbles for a heartier chowder like soup. As for the salad dressings, I can use vegan Nayonnaise which tastes like the real thing. It's a low sodium sauce that can be blended with turmeric or cumin, both liver building spices. I also plan on cooking with those spices. I live them already and am looking forward to using it to flavor lentils and chickpeas.
As for the sweets, I was more than ecstatic to discover that very dark chocolate actually helps in slowing down cirrhosis. I went out and bought the seventy-five percent bars. These have a slightly sweet flavor but tastes more like baking chocolate - which I love. I decided to cut and then grate it into a cup of almond butter. It's the perfect sweet snack - and almost decadent in its' flavor.I plan on mixing it with plain Greek yogurt which I can also have. The Slushie cup I used for my Pepsi slushies can be used for making a kind of ice cream with these ingredients. I can't have the regular kind due to all the sugar but I can have this. I also plant on chopping and pureeing different fruits and mixing it with the yogurt for different iced treats. (Greek yogurt can also be used for dips for veggies too). As for candy' even the sugar free is out of bounds. Yet there are grapes and blueberries to enjoy and snack on. I can melt the dark chocolate and dip strawberries and other fruits in it. As for cakes, I'm looking into whole wheat ones sweetened with honey. This will be the rare treat, made on birthdays and holidays. There is an oatmeal cookie made with blackstrap molasses - again this last is acceptable, that I'm looking into too.
This diet won't kill me. Thanks to being creative , it will save me. There's so many ingredients I can play with to create delicious meals and treats. I'm looking forward to all these changes.
This has been my mantra now that I'm on the cirrhosis diet. I have to admit it was more than daunting at first. Let's face it , giving up sugar and salt is life changing.It's giving up cookies and the occasional cupcake. The salt is even worse. I have to give up my beloved pretzels and bacon along with the occasional bag of chips. Salad dressings, thanks to their high sodium content are also off the table. The one that kills me is the veggie broth, my always go to when I feel sick or just want a very light meal. Luckily one of my favorite soups, Well Yes comes in lower sodium and thankfully tastes the same. Other soups aren't so forgiving so it's up to me to get creative about them. I found a recipe for homemade veggie stock that sounds delicious , I can see adding whole wheat fusilli and chickpeas for a much healthier version of pasta e fagiole. I could also add Beyond Meat crumbles for a heartier chowder like soup. As for the salad dressings, I can use vegan Nayonnaise which tastes like the real thing. It's a low sodium sauce that can be blended with turmeric or cumin, both liver building spices. I also plan on cooking with those spices. I live them already and am looking forward to using it to flavor lentils and chickpeas.
As for the sweets, I was more than ecstatic to discover that very dark chocolate actually helps in slowing down cirrhosis. I went out and bought the seventy-five percent bars. These have a slightly sweet flavor but tastes more like baking chocolate - which I love. I decided to cut and then grate it into a cup of almond butter. It's the perfect sweet snack - and almost decadent in its' flavor.I plan on mixing it with plain Greek yogurt which I can also have. The Slushie cup I used for my Pepsi slushies can be used for making a kind of ice cream with these ingredients. I can't have the regular kind due to all the sugar but I can have this. I also plant on chopping and pureeing different fruits and mixing it with the yogurt for different iced treats. (Greek yogurt can also be used for dips for veggies too). As for candy' even the sugar free is out of bounds. Yet there are grapes and blueberries to enjoy and snack on. I can melt the dark chocolate and dip strawberries and other fruits in it. As for cakes, I'm looking into whole wheat ones sweetened with honey. This will be the rare treat, made on birthdays and holidays. There is an oatmeal cookie made with blackstrap molasses - again this last is acceptable, that I'm looking into too.
This diet won't kill me. Thanks to being creative , it will save me. There's so many ingredients I can play with to create delicious meals and treats. I'm looking forward to all these changes.
Saturday, February 1, 2020
A Good Old Fashioned Celery Soup
What do you do with a bunch of celery? Use it in salad? or as a crunchy snack. However it's winter and that calls for soup. I decided to try an update of my Mom's recipe.
Unfortunately I didn't have it. Mine is a mashup of improvising on a recipe I found on The Daring Gourmet blog. I varied it and add whatever I could remember of the family recipe.
It starts with celery which I had in abundance from making lobster salad with the lobster balls I made last Monday.
Unfortunately I didn't have it. Mine is a mashup of improvising on a recipe I found on The Daring Gourmet blog. I varied it and add whatever I could remember of the family recipe.
It starts with celery which I had in abundance from making lobster salad with the lobster balls I made last Monday.
I sliced the stalks and the heart into chunks the way my Mom did.
It was sauteed in organic butter (I know I shouldn't have this on a cirrhosis diet. but I felt it would add a rich flavor to the potage)
Half went in, (about a quarter cup)
A third of a cup of a flour was added to create a roux with the celery. This thickens it. The Daring Gourmet called for a whole onion and garlic to also be sauteed. I nixed these and added a heaping tablespoon of onion powder by McCormick.
I let all this cook down for about ten minutes before adding an entire container of vegetable stock.
This is Acme's Signature line and it's a rich broth. Then it was Almond Coconut milk
And three cups of Almond Breeze's almond coconut blend.
It was cooked down for another ten minutes as another dash of onion powder was added for more flavor and an extra three teaspoons of flour was added to thicken it. I didn't add salt but freshly ground pepper for more flavoring and bite.
It was a delicious hot bowl. The celery chunks cooked down for still crunchy on the inside , soft on the outside texture. There was also a lovely buttery aftertaste and a smoothness to the soup.
This celery soup, a mashup of recipes, is the perfect dish for a cold February night. Make it for dinner to ward off the chill. It's lovely and green, a reminder of Spring and summer to come.
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